22 Years of Futility

Don Shula coached the Miami Dolphins for 26 years. His worst
season was in 1988. The Dolphins finished 6-10. His WORST season ever was 6-10.
Since Shulas’s last year in 1995, the Dolphins have been through 10 Head
Coaches (including interim HC’s.)

1)
Johnson

2)
Wannstedt

3)
Bates

4)
Saban

5)
Cameron

6)
Sparano

7)
Bowles

8)
Philbin

9)
Campbell

10)
Gase

Shula,
in those 26 years won 257 games with a winning percentage of 66%.

In the
22 years since, the Dolphins have won 173 games and lost 179 and I won’t bother
with the winning percentage…

Yes,
Don Shula was one of the very best to ever coach in the NFL. But the problem is
at the top. The VERY top. Are these last 10 coaches anywhere near Shula’s
greatness? Of course not. But the major problem is not the coaching. The issue
is who hired the coaches? Who hired the Director of personnel? Who hired the
GM? Who hired the VP of operations? Who oversaw the cap space? Who oversaw
draft selection during these last 22 years? That group is much smaller than the
10 Head Coaches previously named. But much more responsible for the
assassination of a once great franchise.

Wayne
Huizenga and Stephen Ross have been the principle owners in these last 22
years. And it would be a battle to figure out which one of them knew and know
less about professional football. Savvy businessmen, but ignorant as hell about
the product on the field. Instead relying on the football personnel to advise
them. So those that advise these men need and needed to be football
savvy. Some were, some were not. But if they could convince Ross and Huizenga
that they were, that’s all that mattered.

The
GM’s during the last 22 years have been Eddie Jones until 2004, and then Randy
Mueller became GM in 2005. He was hired by Wayne Huizenga. A decision that
belonged in one of Wayne’s garbage trucks. Mueller then hired the great Cam
Cameron. Cameron and Mueller were fired after the 2007, 1-15 season. You can’t overestimate
the damage a terrible GM or someone in an authority position in team management
can do in a position of power on an NFL team. In 2008 Jeff Ireland became the
GM. I believe he hired Tony Sparano as HC. And then hired Joe Philbin as
HC after firing Sparano. Again, we cannot overestimate the damage a terrible GM
can do to an NFL franchise. History proves me right.

After
the 2013 season Ross fired Jeff Ireland. And hired Dennis Hickey. Hickey or was
it Ross, fired the great Joe Philbin after 4 games in 2015. Who knows, the
incompetence is interchangeable. Hickey himself was fired after the 2015
season. And Chris Grier became the GM in 2016. But everyone knows that the guy
running the football ops in 2016 was really Mike Tannenbaum, overseeing the
operation. And so, Grier really was only a GM on paper and didn’t have all that
much power. That’s the same Tannenbaum who signed Ndamukong Suh and
single-handedly nuked the Dolphins salary cap space for this year. Same
Tannenbaum who could have worked out a deal with Jarvis Landry last year and
saved himself and all Dolfans anxiety attacks as we speed towards NFL free
agency. Same Tannenbaum who over paid Kiki Alonzo, and a few others. Same
Tannenbaum at the heart of all the failed free agent signings in 2017.

In 2017
Chris Grier remained the GM, but again Mike Tannenbaum oversees the football
ops. And that is part of the disfunction. Because of the amazing football
ignorance of Stephen Ross, he has relied and leaned on people who are equally
as ignorant and transferred power to people who shouldn’t be in positions to
make any meaningful decisions on any NFL team.

And
Ross has taken power away from the few solid football minds, like Chris Grier,
who should have more power and authority. As a result, this is a cycle of
ineptitude that the Dolphins are not likely to break and overcome anytime soon.
But hope springs eternal with every NFL draft cycle and combine so…. we can
only hope.

1 Comment

Man, I have been following this team since the Marino era. Enough is enough….=). There has been enough pain and suffering by the entire Fins Fans base already. Will it change this year. I am trying to stay positive but this current ownership and FO has not shown that they can succeed. God help us..=)